St. Peter’s Seminary

The story of St. Peter's Seminary is unique in the annals of post-war modern architecture in the UK—opened in 1966 and abandoned less than 15 years later.

John Allan

Since it was abandoned, St. Peter's Seminary has been ravaged by both the elements and vandalism. At the same time, it has acquired legendary status and is considered by many to be the most outstanding architecture in Scotland since that of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Many unsuccessful attempts have been made over the years to arrest deterioration on this Gillespie, Kidd & Coia design, and restore the buildings, but only now has a new rescue project by the arts organization NVA begun to gain traction and attract support. An important start was made in 2015/16 clearing asbestos-contaminated debris and stabilizing salvageable vaults. A partial adaptive re-use project is now in hand, but more funding is required to enable a full rescue and rehabilitation of both the buildings and the 50 hectare site, itself rich in exotic vegetation and local history.